The number of tenants claiming rent supplement has jumped by 60% in the last three years to 95,500, the Minister for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cúiv has told the Dáil.
Despite the scheme being for short-term purposes, Mr Ó Cuiv said 37,800 of these tenants have been receiving rent supplement for 18 months or longer.
The Minister said another 16,800 people were getting mortgage interest supplement.
That number had doubled in the last two years. The estimated cost of the mortgage scheme for this year is €63.9m.
